Universal
Tools
The celestial bodies have an endless power to captivate us. We have
always watched them, speculated about them, and studied them for patterns.
Ultimately, we look to the sky not just to understand the universe,
but to seek our place in it.

The tools of skywatching have changed over time. A stick poked into
the ground to track the sun's shifting shadows, a rock placed to mark
a point in the sky-these have given way to radio telescope arrays
and satellites. But look closely at these images, and you'll see that
the old saying is true: The more things change, the more they remain
the same.

This
close-up image of the sun shows a loop prominence system, high
arches of gas associated with solar flares. The image was taken
by NASA's Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE) spacecraft.

The similarity between these two images is, while striking, accidental.
Loop prominences are not visible to the unaided eye.

This
petroglyph symbol can
be found at various sites around Chaco Canyon-its three concentric
circles are understood to represent the sun. Often, these petroglyphs
mark sun-watching stations, such as that at Piedra del Sol.